Supercharge your Reef

Lazys Coral House · Feb 20, 2015

Here is Before/After only 10 days apart

Lazys Coral House · Feb 20, 2015

Even my Anemone is coloring up.

UK_Pete · Feb 22, 2015

@ReefFrenzy thanks for the information and links, an interesting read, and I think you should be thanked for pointing out issues despite the fact that it might push the odd buyer away from your products towards fresh fish they source themselves if they really want to freeze mixed foods themselves.

I was wondering if you have any advise for how to defrost to reduce damage as much as possible? My interest is not just in defrosting fish food but as a sashimi fan who has to buy frozen sashimi, I have always wondered the best way to defrost. Slow in the fridge? Fast in a vacuum bag immersed in warm or cool water? Is it useful to leave it out of the freezer overnight but on ice to bring the temperature of the fish up to a uniform 0 degrees (degrees C that is) before allowing it to actually defrost the next day by one of the above methods?

Thanks, Pete

ReefFrenzy · Feb 22, 2015

UK_Pete thanks for writing and your timing was perfect. I just woke up in Ohama, NE and I'm putting together final tweaks on my presentation at the zoo tomorrow night on the care, handing, and selection of frozen foods. I don't have any info on the thawing of the foods and which method is better for human consumption. I would guess that thawing in warm water would not be optimal and probably placing it in the fridge overnight would be best. The cell damage occurs during freezing so it might not matter much how it is thawed, as long as it is chilled during thawing. In the case of fish food I like to thaw it rapidly so there is less time for the additives to separate from the actual ingredients and float away in the water. All of our posted lab results regarding active cultures of probiotic bacteria were sampled when a frozen piece of food was thawed in 75 degree water for 15 minutes.

PS- We tried to ship LRS to a distributor in the UK and customs will not permit seafood from non EU countries to enter. :nono:

UK_Pete · Feb 23, 2015

Thanks Larry, and re the UK importing seafood, I know, its really restrictive what we can bring in here! Really annoying, especially from the US who I would expect to be part of the gang!

Lazys Coral House · Feb 24, 2015

Someone asked previously how long the food will last. all the food in the first picture of this thread is gone. I used the last of it last night. The entire time the skimmers been off so all would turn into nutrients in the water. I'm sure I won't be able to feed this much and run no skimmer indefinitely but perhaps another couple weeks or month. Then I will figure out how much I need to feed daily to keep nitrates steady at around 5ppm or whatever the sweet spot is, which is still an ongoing experiment.

LILBUDDHA · Feb 24, 2015

lazylivin said:
Someone asked previously how long the food will last. all the food in the first picture of this thread is gone. I used the last of it last night. The entire time the skimmers been off so all would turn into nutrients in the water. I'm sure I won't be able to feed this much and run no skimmer indefinitely but perhaps another couple weeks or month. Then I will figure out how much I need to feed daily to keep nitrates steady at around 5ppm or whatever the sweet spot is, which is still an ongoing experiment.

Nice thread . Can u confirm the pic's ? I couldn't tell the before and after.They seemed backwards . I checked out BSD and found most of the stuff there . I wonder how some of this stuff would mix with that American Reef gel stuff.
I know the fish loved that stuff mixed with reef chili and some preis ? sps food,selco I had .It doesn't break apart so easily and the fish find it and munch on it until it's gone .

Lazys Coral House · Feb 24, 2015

I am not sure. I often wondered what is in the American Reef HPD that makes it harden like it does. I enjoy their videos, but never used any HPD. Will definitely try it sometime. The first pic is before and the second pic of the same coral is the after.

Budman's Corals · Feb 25, 2015

This is for Fish to eat correct?:brushteeth:

cdness · Feb 25, 2015

Larry at LRS is very knowledgeable on frozen foods. I have seen no other company with as many breakthroughs related to "fish food" in a very long time. The probiotics and blackworm diets have dramatically increased the success rate of breeding projects and keeping tricky and finicky fish in captive systems. I personally make my own food at the moment, but if the LRS food was available in my area I would probably just give up making my own food as there is no known higher quality food on the market than LRS foods...

So in short, if Larry says don't do it, he is probably right

Please note in the foods I make I use fresh ingredients and a mix of Rod's Food, Mysys, Krill, Powders, Live Copepods and live Phyto... Rod's food is great food too. I just tend to me a tinkerer with food and have been using Rod's for years in my mixes...

sassAwrasse · Feb 26, 2015

Interesting read. Thanks to the original poster and Larry for the info.

I like to vary my foods. A few different flakes & pellets as well as Larry's, Rods, and my own frozen blend.. I made a tutorial for my local club, which can be found here:https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/co.../181194-topic-week-do-yourself-fish-food.html

ifarmer · Mar 1, 2015

nice write up & thank you for sharing

Waters · Mar 2, 2015

I am not shocked that you are seeing results....you are mixing a bunch of already proven high quality foods together :smile:

maroun.c · Mar 2, 2015

can you explain the difference between thawing a cube of each of your components every day, soaking in the liquid additives you are using and then feeding?
Looking at the final size its not like you've reduced the frozen foods to a size that might be eaten by SPS or anything?
I understand thawing and blending fish and other foods as they're too large to start with but thawing Mysis and krill and other to blend it to a not so small size afterall and then refreezing while risking loss of quality doesn't seem to offer but saving some time every day thawing food and adding additives?
Any meaty food that's frozen and rises above freezing point in temp will start building up bacteria, refreezing might kill bacteria but not its toxins and eventually even if fish tolerate a dirtier food than we do it's just a waste of nutrients and a potential contamination source to your water.
Keep a close watch on your nutrient levels with all that food and no skimmer.
Thanks for all the explanation Larry and yes Amazing brand and achievement that clearly tell how much dedication is behind the product.
Can't wait to receive our shipment here!

LILBUDDHA · Mar 4, 2015

Thanks for the recipe . The reefer's on the NE coast make something called fish goo .
It's sometimes held in warmer weather outside since it can be a messy event . They have been making this stuff for a bit . Some products are frozen ,fresh , canned etc . Some ppl actually taste the stuff . No one's gotten sick and no fish have died that I am aware of .I don't think I would taste any since it has castor oil in it . I have no problems with being regular .

A blender or food processor is used to mix the stuff .

The ingredients .

Clams (Canned w/juice)
Cocktail Shrimp
Scallops
Mussles (Grocery Store)
Color Enhancing Flake Food
Granulated Fish Food
Selcon
Vitamin C
Castor Oil
Reef Vitamin and Mineral Suppliment
Garlic
Basic Liquid Filter Feeder Food
Dried Plankton suppliment
Decapsulated Brine Shrimp Eggs
Nori
Mysis Shrimp
Rotifer Perls (brineshrimp direct)
Frozen Brine Shrimp

tyler1503 · Mar 4, 2015

Interesting read

I DIY my own food too, it's great fun! Smelly work though.
I find blending it turns it to mush. I have to hand cut mine and it takes all day

cdness · Mar 4, 2015

tyler1503 said:
I find blending it turns it to mush. I have to hand cut mine and it takes all day

Get yourself a good blender that has an ice crusher setting. Leave the food frozen, add a little water and let it rip. Makes perfect pieces and doesn't turn to mush. Also never fully thaws.